Televangelist accused of funding IS members trip to Sri Lanka

November 24, 2016 - 08:50

Televangelist Zakir Naik has been accused of funding a visit to Sri Lanka by Islamic State (IS) members.

The Maharashtra Police is set to register a first information report (FIR) against Naik, after the state law and judiciary department sent in its opinion that a case may be made out against him for inciting enmity.

The probe being carried out by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), alleged that Islamic State (IS) recruit Ashfaque Majeed’s father had revealed that Arshi Qureshi, guest manager with the Islamic Research Foundation (IRF), had allegedly funded Ashfaque and his fellow recruits’ Sri Lanka trip.

NIA has written to banks asking them to freeze accounts belonging to Naik, his NGO Islamic Research Foundation (IRF) and other associate companies, Indian media reports said.

“Ashfaque’s father Kader claims that while leaving for Sri Lanka in February this year, Ashfaque told him that Qureshi was funding the tour. In all, 21 people were attending a small course on ‘Learning Quran’. Qureshi had also paid money to make their passports,” said an official.

According to Kader, on February 23, Ashfaque left for Sri Lanka, where he stayed in Jaffna.

Sources said investigators had so far identified 25 bank accounts in four banks, which were regularly used for transactions by Naik and his companies.

NIA has written to the scheduled banks to identify all the companies/individuals which had transactions with Naik’s IRF and its associate organisations.

The move is aimed at financially choking Naik and his organisations after the controversial televangelist was booked under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).

Sources said the decision to was taken after NIA claimed to have seized documents which showed that IS recruit Abu Anas had received Rs 80,000 from IRF as scholarship in October 2015. (Colombo Gazette)

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